This turn in the fate of the 45th president of the United States has proven to be a political bombshell and one of the biggest news stories of the year. Commentators note that while this isn’t the first criminal case that has hit the headlines in 2023 concerning Donald Trump, it is certainly the case with the highest stakes for the former “The Apprentice” star.
The arraignment on federal charges relating to his retention of classified and top secret documents at his Mar-A-Lago estate in Florida is the third major legal challenge to Trump to emerge in the first half of the year alone. The first was an indictment brought against him in New York District Court relating to alleged hush-money payments made to the adult film star Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels (pictured). Daniels claims to have had an affair with Trump in 2006, and prosecutors allege that her silence was bought by Trump and his team illegally. The second was that brought against him in Civil Court by the writer E. Jean Caroll, who in May was awarded $5 million in damages after the jury found Trump guilty of sexual abuse and defamation.
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But while such stories in the news seem to have little chance of seriously damaging Trump legally (or in the eyes of his supporters), it has been noted that his second criminal indictment of 2023 is different. This time, the former president faces federal charges that allege his actions were a risk to national security, serious crimes that carry hefty jail sentences and which would reportedly destroy his political career were he to be convicted.
